This invention relates to an apparatus for connecting an electrically conductive cable to a battery having positive or negative terminals mounted on the side of the battery. More particularly this invention relates to a connector adapted to engage the side mounted battery terminal connecting bolt and thereby provide a secure electrically conductive connection between the battery terminal and a current carrying cable for transfer of electrical current to a weak or discharged battery.
Side-mounted battery terminals have long been known in the art and are characterized by the positive and negative posts of the battery being presented on the side of the battery casing rather than the top of the casing. The terminals of side-mounted batteries generally incorporate a void, threaded to receive a bolt, by which the battery cables are connected to the side mounted terminal. When the battery must be recharged or external power applied to the battery, connecting jumper cables is difficult as only the head of the bolt securing the battery cable is available for application of the jumper cable.
Conventional spring-jaw type battery jumper cable connectors are best suited for connection to lead top-mounted post-type battery terminals. Top-mounted lead terminal posts offer greater surface area for the jaw-type jumper cable connectors to grasp. When such jaw-type jumper cable connectors are applied to the hard steel securing bolt of a side-post-type battery terminal, the cable connectors will slip from the side terminal cable securing bolt thus interrupting proper connection.
The inability of jaw-type jumper cable clamps to properly grasp side post terminals is due to two factors of construction in side-post battery terminals. First, the securing bolt used in side-mounted battery terminals is generally composed of much harder material than the lead used in top mounted post-type battery terminals. Steel is commonly used to manufacture the side post terminal bolts and its greater hardness prevents the jaw-type jumper cable clamp connectors from tightly grasping the side terminal securing bolt. The second factor is presented in the location of side terminal batteries within the engine compartment. Frequently side mount batteries are located closely adjacent to other portions of the engine compartment or engine itself. This positioning of the battery substantially reduces the access space to the battery terminals and increases the difficulty in achieving successful contact of the battery jumper cables to the side-post terminal bolt heads.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a jumper cable connector for side terminal batteries which requires little space adjacent to the battery terminal for secure and convenient connection to the battery terminal.
An additional objective of the invention is to provide a connector for side-mounted battery terminals which can securely be attached to the limited electrically conductive surface presented by side-mounted battery terminals.
A further objective of the present invention is to provide a battery jumper cable connector which may be conveniently and rapidly secured to the bolt head securing the battery cable to the side-mounted battery terminal.